Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On The Need To Pass COVID Public Health Response Funding

Washington, D.C. –  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor regarding the progress made towards passing bipartisan COVID public health response funding. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Yesterday, I met with a group of my colleagues, Senators Murray, Coons, Romney, Blunt, Burr, and Graham, for another round of talks as we work towards a bipartisan COVID agreement. We spoke throughout the day, we talked late into the night, our staffs are continuing talks this morning.

The gap has been narrowed greatly and we are intent on working with Republicans to cross the finish line because this is vital for our country if, God forbid, a new variant arises in the future, and that's all too likely. We would like considerably more money than our Republican colleagues, but we need to reach 60 votes to get something passed through the Senate and so we are going to push as hard as we can.

When it comes to replenishing COVID response funding, we simply can’t afford to kick the can down the road. The White House has been more than clear, and more than transparent, about the fact that public funds for COVID are at risk of running out. We all know that a possible future variant can quickly undo much of the progress we have made against the virus, so it makes no sense whatsoever to hold off on COVID funding that we know is very much needed right now. The more we wait, the bigger the problem will be later if, God forbid, a variant hits.

The bottom line is this: both sides should work to complete COVID funding soon because that will mean more vaccines, more therapeutics, and more testing so we can keep schools and communities open. We can stay back to normal, which we are doing right now.

Woe is us if a future variant extends its nasty tentacles across the country and we don’t have the resources in place to respond. Woe is us. So again I'm pleading with my Republican colleagues: join us. We want more than you do, but we have to get something done. We have to get something done.

We will keep working to arrive at a deal in good faith, and we hope our Republican colleagues ultimately join us in supporting a robust enough package to deal with this problem.

As I said, we're making good progress. We're getting closer and closer, but the sooner we get this deal done, the better for the country. 

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